Arizona weekly enterprise., 1887-07-02
OUR CONSUL TO RUSSIA.
Cost of Living in St. Petersburg-ThC
 Russian CIimate-ScandaI.

Russian CIimate-ScandaI.
 spent an evening at the Riggs house q day or so ago, chatting with Gen. Young, of Georgia, our late consul general to St. Petersburg; with Col. Way, of Savannah, who has just been appointed as his suc- cessor, and with Col Coleman, of Illinois, but now a resident of this city, who was Howells' successor as consul to Venice, where he resided for four years. In Washington ex-corsuls, ex-ministers, ex- generals and ex-everythings, from sena- tors to doorkeepers, are as thick as black berries. It seems as if all the people here had, at one time or another, been upon foreign mission, if only to carry shad eggs to England.
 Including salary, fees)and everything, the office of consul general at St. Peters, burg is not worth more than S3,50O a year. The cost of living is as dear there as i'll other cities. What with rents and housekeeping and servants the consul is lucky if he squeezes through on all he can get. The social position of Q consul general is not a high ono. He is regarded purely as commercial agent, and has no relations whatever. with the diplomatic corps of the court He calls upon the <1 upon the consuls of other nations. After ward his relations are wholly with the commercial class, people who have noth- 1 ing to do with and are never admitted to f the governing class. There are less than i dozen Americans ill St. Petersburg, a fact which requires the consul to learn to speak Russian if he expects to get on with tolerablc comfort. Gen. Young tells me that he made it point to master | 300 of the most common Russian words, and with these he was able to hold all ordinary conversation.
 He speaks Of Russia as glorious coun- try, and says it has been more richly en- 1 dowed by nature than the United States. It has Ell climates, grows everything that we do and more besides, and it is full of minerals. The Russians think nothing of hauling iron ore on sleds 300 miles over the snow, and manufacturing it into iron at a profit, feat which would be deemed im- possible in this country. Cold weather begins i'll Russia, in the latitude of St. Petersburg, as early as September, but from May 1 onward the weather is charming. Gen. Young says he was never uncomfortable, as regards the weather, while in St. Petersburg, all though there is often a difference of 30 degs. in temperature between the inside and outside of the house. There are days,
 however, when no one ventures out, the weather being umbearable Covered CT closed sledges and carriages are used and
 these are often heated But the weather
 exerts a strange influence, producing un-
 pleasant effects. For three months after
 his arrival the general was unable to sleep
 more than three or four hours at night.
 He said to me:
 II could not understand why was SC
 sleepless. used to get mp in the mid
 dle of the night take sledge and drive
 furiously for dozen miles, then would
 eat big dinner and go to bed again and
 manage to get some sleep. ;
 ..How did you find things socially" asked
 '.The mercantile class. with which
 came in contact, is very hospitable. They
 delight to entertain and will often asl you to dinner, but there is a great deal oi scandal in St. Petersburg. and the peo
 pie, or some of them at least, arc very fond of gossiping. I found that every
 servant kept a close watch on me. If
 went out for drive he was sure to ask
 the driver upon my return where he hao
 taken me, and where I had come from and whom I had seen! This was intoler able. I soon put stop to that. There are 25,000 cabs for hire in St. Peters l burg and by going around the corner could find two or three, so I stopped talk ; ing cab at my own door, got differen one every time, and used to be put dow1 upon my return block or two ava, from home. By that means my servan !. was taught to mind his own business. "- Fuller Walker in Kansas City Journal